performance x 3 - exceptional acceleration without much interest in top speed; performance for class of car --> drives like a lambo in family sedan; overall performance value (cost vs. performance and size is unmatched by any car).

mclary |
03. August 2013

I like your reasons and I'll add my main one:

Because I want to see Tesla succeed well beyond Gen 3.

I live in the Bay Area too.

Kleist |
03. August 2013

Dazzling interior - ha, no it is not dazzling... but that is the beauty. In contrast to other current choices it doesn't look my great grandmas cluttered living room.

bradslee |
04. August 2013

Only one (or maybe two ) reason: it is Elon Musk's product AND nothing is better.

The Consumer Reports 'best car we ever tested' 99 out of 100 destroyed the last of my resistance to paying $90K for a car, about 3 times what I usually spend.

ORWA |
05. August 2013

CalDreamin +1

Olof |
05. August 2013

1. Instant and much power under your foot
2. Fantasized about electric cars since I was a kid.
3. Feels exciting to try something new and different
4. Quiet and smooth
5. Looks cool
6. Consumer reports rating 99/100
7. Save oil and power in general
8. No need to deal with a dealer
9. Roominess
10.3rd row of seats

Better performance than an M5/Ferrari/Porsche/...
Smoother than a Bentley
Better safety than a Volvo
Better economy than almost anything
More room than an SUV or mini van
More stylish than a stylish person on a "how to be stylish" course (to paraphrase Blackadder)
And by the way it is electric, and gets greener and more economical with age.

I usually describe it as the "most spacious, most economic, safest, most highly performant sedan on the market"

qblack1 |
05. August 2013

1. 100% EV
2. Best human interface of any vehicle (understatement)
3. No compromise on styling and quality compared to competitors
4. Performance

Finally, 12. The visceral feeling you get when you drive it, or when I see one on the street. IMHO: The only product comparison I have is back when I first used an iPhone... every other vehicle looks like a flip phone now. I would also have to include the Macintosh back in 1984, it was a clearly different experience.

This will probably change the specs on most other vehicles starting next year. Wouldn't be surprised if the big screen replaced a lot of buttons (way too many hardware buttons!).

ajkim26 |
05. August 2013

1. best car on the market from safety and design to millenium falcon ride feel
2. drives like a rocket to mars
3. basically rids the planet of the illuminati if there was one
4. helps people see what their dollar can really buy, hopefully gets others to stop accepting less.
5. no gas
6. will rid our world of gas
7. will rid our world of the power structure surrounding oil
8. every purchase supports gen 3
9. can't buy a 2nd one until you buy the 1st one
10. kicks ass
11. goes to 11

simplesolarinc |
05. August 2013

1. Fast. Love the instant torque off the line
2. Eco-friendly
3. Almost free to operate (solar panels)
At the pace I am driving my p85+ is equivalent to owning a $30,000
car with gas payment
4. I can show up at my job with $100,000+ car without getting dirty
looks from my clients
5. Nice looking car
6. Space in the trunk and frunk
7. Quiet
8. Seating for 7!
9. Love the gadgets inside
10. Did I mention it was fast?

SevenOfNine |
05. August 2013

1. Getting into the California carpool lane. #1 by a mile.
2. Practicality - I have 3 kids and I'm anti-minivan.
3. Peer pressure - There are probably a hundred Tesla owners at the large tech company where I work.
4. Great support - free charging stations at work.
5. Many supercharger stations nearby and along the road trips I would take.
6. Perfect weather in NorCal for a battery-powered car.
7. Tech features.
8. Being at the bleeding edge with my automobile.
9. The environment.
10. Did I mention the carpool lane?

1.) Boredom - Lack of anything else on the Market that I found exciting

2.) Laziness - Just don't want to fill up on my way to work.

3.) Gluttony - Did I really need a Tesla MS? Not really.

4.) So I can shrug when the Safeway Clerk tell me I have X number of points for gas.

5.) Not having to think about paying for gas when going somewhere.

6.) To be a part of something groundbreaking. Very few times in a persons life can they really contribute to a revolution.

7.) To correct the average watt/mile for all the 60KW owners. I'll take care of removing the efficiency win they currently enjoy over the 85KW.

8.) To get something for free. Sure I know I paid >$80K for a car, but its always nice to get something for free even if they're just electrons. No I won't drive 40 miles out of my way for it, but I'll make up excuses to go on road trips.

9.) I have to own one to really have the right to give Tesla a hard time. I'm always the biggest critic of the things I love.

10.) I needed a way to stop time so I could finish up some projects for work. Ordering a Tesla seemed like a great way to do that.

11.) I always wanted a Spaceship

Minuses

- Risk
- Frustration with the web site gimmicks and limitations
- Growing Pains of Tesla (constant price adjustments, etc)
- How long it took to decide between 60/85, Air/Standard, and Blue/Red.
- Way larger than what I'd normally drive. Doesn't feel so big while driving it though. I figure I'll get used to it.
- Will take awhile for the features I want to be implemented in SW. I did wait till 5.0 that brought a bunch of stuff I wanted.
- SW bugs that while entertaining are a bit puzzlingly.

S4WRXTTCS |
22. August 2013

Oh, I forgot the things that were necessary to lower the barrier of entry.

Did I mention superchargers? It is pretty silly because I might use them a dozen times a year, but they played a HUGE role in pulling me in. I blame the people in the Tesla User group for posting pictures during construction of local superchargers.

jonlivesay |
22. August 2013

1. Gas free
2. Fun, fun, fun to drive.
3. Beautiful
4. Early adoption of new tech, to be part of the Tesla revolution.
5. Mid-life lollipop

blakewpalmer |
22. August 2013

American made
100% Electric
Tech that is years ahead of anything else
Fun as hell to drive

RanjitC |
22. August 2013

1.Cool
2.Cool
3.Cool
4.Cool
5.Cool
6.Cool
7.Cool
8.Cool
9.Cool
10. The guy next to you at the lights asks you to roll down your passenger window and asks " Is it fully electric?" Really Cool.

Brian H |
22. August 2013

SC;
Bit puzzled by "are a bit puzzlingly". Puzzlingly what? ;/

jbunn |
22. August 2013

Too cheap to buy gas
Believe burning gasoline is bad for the environment
Wanted reduced complexity over an internal combustion engine
Unhappy with traveling to the future at one second per second.

The last one was critical. Ever since I was a kid, I've read science fiction, and I'd like to get to the future while I'm still young enough to enjoy it!

The fact that the car looks cool was enough to make me stand in line for two years. Best thing I ever purchased.

sharpe222 |
22. August 2013

1. no gas pollution
2. Fast
3. superchargers
4. As a big F U to Mitt Romney and idiot Republicans who want EV's to fail and whine about government help while supporting oil subsidies.
5. early adopting fun
6. Safety
7. Pano roof
8. ease of home charging making normal driving less of a hassle than before
9. I phone climate apps
10. It goes to 11

Mark K |
23. August 2013

For me? There was no list.

With this machine, that far, far better future ... has now begun.

100K to invigorate hope is the deal of the century.

HenryT2 |
23. August 2013

I ordered mine last February, so obviously I never got a chance to drive one and many of the specs weren't finalized. Here's why I placed my order:

1) I knew this was next step in the evolution of the automobile and I wanted to be part of it.
2) Styling
3) Electric (environmental reasons)
4) Electric (engineering reasons)
5) Promised to be Fast/powerful
6) The 17" console and all that it promised
7) All that space! SO PRACTICAL!
8) Made in the USA
9) Panoramic sunroof

After I've gotten out of it, here are other reasons I would have bought it had I known these things when I decided to buy the first time:

1) The power and performance - the instant torque far more exhilarating than I expected.
2) The quiet acceleration that allows me to floor it at every opportunity without feeling like a d-bag
2) Safety!
3) Internet radio (slacker)
4) Software upgrades
5) Helping Elon Musk change the world
6) Being part of Tesla community
7) The attention from admirers
8) Consumer reports/Motortrend acclaim
9) Anti-range anxiety that comes from having a "full tank" every day
10) The app

And last, but not least:
11) Owning a Tesla makes me feel smart. Like I've made the only rational decision that can be made and others are just taking longer to come to that conclusion. Like having the professor ask a really tough question and watching while everyone else furls their brows and furiously scribble out equations while I wait for everyone else laboriously arrive at the only possible conclusion.

J.T. |
23. August 2013

@sharpe222 It was such a positive thread until your #4. You couldn't have made it OPEC?

redacted |
23. August 2013

In no particular order

awesomeness
said it couldn’t be done
breaks the mould (c.f. iphone)
neighbors don’t have
we wants it
it’s my birthday
midlife crisis
large value for second derivative of distance
boss got cmax. CMax is lame.
minimalist interior

In the end I suppose it's a combination of great engineering and social forces.

Cindy I II III |
23. August 2013

1 reason - love at first drive

sharpe222 |
23. August 2013

@jtodtman..well It was one the reasons! perhaps I should have alluded to Mitt's infamous debate comment about Tesla in a more subtle way...

Most bystanders drop their jaws whenever my two younger kids emerge from the jump seats from the trunk.

dvm |
23. August 2013

For me, it's the outrageously over-engineered design of the Model S. I've driven three vehicles for more than 10 years and two of those for more than 200K miles. In additional to my MS, I have an '04 diesel Ford Excursion with 140K miles running B100 for most of them. Getting a vehicle to long life and long range isn't hard but it can be expensive. I expect my P85 to take me to 20 years and well over 300K miles with only the replacement of the battery pack and maybe some of the dashboard electronics. I'm sure I'll still be driving when Tesla sends me a note that there will be no more updates to your car.

Nah, it's pretty much about Republicans. If you are one, you CAN'T have missed that your party has been pretty negative about EVs and Tesla in particular. Whether you personally feel that way or not, your party deserves the big FU on this one.

soren |
23. August 2013

1: Dream car, without the standard 180% extra tax on cars, no ev cars have In Denmark.
2: Dream car, without the standard 180% extra tax on cars, no ev cars have In Denmark.
3: Dream car, without the standard 180% extra tax on cars, no ev cars have In Denmark.
4..... :)

The Republicans suck, and yes I am one. The Democrats are no better, and yes I was one. The Independents are nothing to brag about either. I'd be one of those but it's a waste of time.

This is a different thing. A business model and product that's making a difference not because of politicians but in spite of them.

I won't post anything else political on this forum. It doesn't belong here. This is a clean place, let's keep it that way.

Tylyoung |
03. November 2013

I wanted to review my own list after these few months to see if it was holding true. It is, so far, however, I am sure that once a few more superchargers are operational, "supercharging" will become synonymous with range for my number 2. Superchargers are the key, in my opinion, to making the model S main stream as far as total LONG RANGE mobility is concerned. For local daily use the Model S was a home run right off the assembly line. SUPERCHARGING (inter connecting the country with TSCNetwork) is the Commissioner's Trophy:)
It is moving along as rapidly as humanly possible. It was great to see the San Diego to Vancouver B.C. "Drive Free" event progress along effortlessly this past weekend. All the way without ANY gasoline or deisel.. and FREE! I'm still grasping the "FREE" component to this wonderful SUPERCHARGING highway!! Soon we will be free to drive around the entire United States for Free.... slap me... that is so AWESOME!!!

Low CG |
03. November 2013

1. Do my part to help EVs catch on so we can stop importing oil and sacrificing our young people in Middle East wars (I'm former military).
2. Practically no maintenance.
3. It's beautiful.
4. It's lightening quick.
5. No visits to gas stations.
6. Fantastic handling.
7. Great fit and finish.
8. Fast easy painless ordering / purchasing experience.
9. Made in the USA.
10. My kids think I'm a little cooler (but still have a long way to go).

Captain_Zap |
08. November 2013

Only 10?

Low CG |
08. November 2013

Capt - there are plenty more, but 10 is was the directive!

gwstephens |
08. November 2013

1. Piss of Republican neighbors.
2-100 see 1.

SamO |
10. November 2013

Carpool solo
Free meter parking in Santa Monica

defmonk |
10. November 2013

1. I hate gas stations
2. I hate waiting in line at gas stations
3. My employer thankfully ended its executive lease program, freeing me from the massive, gas-guzzling company car I was forced to drive
4. Versatility, Model S covers most of the use cases (with the jump seats) for a family sedan, small SUV and sport sedan.
5. Touch screen. I love it.
6. Interior design. Simple and straightforward.
7. Uniqueness. Luxury car overload in SoCal. The MS is still distinctive.
8. Ride/Handling. I like the supple/taut ride.
9. Color. The grey has a wonderfully understated beauty.
10. Responsiveness. There may be quicker and better handling luxury cars, but the MS does what you want, when you want to do it.

jcaspar1 |
10. November 2013

1) American Company
2) American Made
3) Performance
4) Uniqueness
5) Cool factor
6) High tech interface
7) No Gas
8) Not a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche
9) iPhone app
10) First new car in 20 years